Airport developer and operator, Corporación America Airports S.A. (CAAP), and Skyports Infrastructure have combined forces to build the infrastructure for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operations. The role model for this project is Skyports’ Drone Services kicked off in Colombia a year ago, facilitating transports to remote regions and backed by Irish investor, Irelandia Aviation, the majority shareholder of Viva Air Colombia.
Both companies say that their intended collaboration will involve developing a wide-spanning network of vertiports, facilitating operations for relevant use cases. Part of the joint project is detailed planning for the deployment of permanent vertiport ground and air infrastructure. To achieve this aim, the companies will evaluate which of Corporación América Airports’ assets are best suited for vertiport deployment, prioritizing sites based on market readiness and opportunity. Currently, CAAP runs 53 airports in six countries across Latin America and Europe (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Armenia, and Italy). Only a month ago, the Nigerian Government declared it as the preferred bidder for the Abuja and Kano airports, including long-term concessions for managing the cargo facilities, following a tender process (CargoForwarder reported).
AAM is on the advance
In an announcement, both players emphasize that their signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for future collaboration “is an important step in the growth of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)
industry in Latin America, and supports the development of operationally critical vertiport networks.”
Martin Eurnekian, CEO of Corporación América Airports, commented: “With over 20 years of expertise and operations in six countries across LatAm and Europe, we are firmly committed to continue
building the future of this new way of transportation, which will be leaner, faster, and more sustainable.” The executive went on to say that the partnership with Skyports Infrastructure
opens the doors for his company to play a leading role in the development of the Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem.
Skyports has several irons in the fire
Addison Ferrell, Director, Skyports Infrastructure stresses that partnering with CAAP comes at the right time because “we are at an incredibly exciting point in the industry’s development as
we take concrete steps towards implementing a scalable vertiport network that will facilitate commercial eVTOL operations; this partnership will be instrumental to achieving those objectives.
Bringing together CAAP’s proven airport leadership and Skyports’ deep expertise of AAM infrastructure will make for a compelling partnership.”
Meanwhile, there are a number of projects that have long since moved beyond the experimental stage. For example: aerial services offered by the Californian drone operator Matternet or Wingcopter
and Volocopter from Germany. The latter inked a deal three weeks ago with Skyports and airport operator Aeroport de Paris to build a fully integrated vertiport terminal for the urban air mobility
(UAM) industry at Pontoise-Cormeilles airfield in the northwestern outskirts of Paris. Thanks to numerous commitments, Skyports should therefore be well equipped for the envisaged eVTOL project
with CAAP.
Heiner Siegmund
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